The European Commission has launched a consultation on its upcoming Skills Portability Initiative, aimed at facilitating worker mobility across the EU by improving skills transparency, digitalisation, and recognition procedures. This initiative comes alongside broader discussions on vocational education and training (VET), and follows the recent consultation on the upcoming VET Strategy.
EuropeOn welcomes the Commission’s efforts to tackle labour shortages, as the electrical contracting sector is one of the most affected by widespread workforce gaps in nearly all Member States. However, while mobility can be part of the solution, it cannot be the sole answer. Strengthening the attractiveness of VET and bringing more people into technical education must remain a priority.
Mobility must reflect national realities
EuropeOn supports worker mobility in principle. Yet, as labour shortages affect virtually every European country in the electrical sector, facilitating mobility risks shifting shortages from one Member State to another rather than resolving them structurally.
The sector is largely composed of SMEs operating at local or regional level. Language barriers remain significant, as installers regularly work in clients’ homes and businesses where clear communication, safety instructions and trust are essential. Moreover, national building codes, climate conditions and safety standards vary considerably across Europe. An adaptation step, such as an exam or targeted course, is therefore a necessary safeguard even for fully qualified professionals moving between countries.
Exploring mobility from third countries to address European labour gaps may offer potential and deserves consideration from a coordinated, pan-European perspective.
Regulated professions must remain a national competence
EuropeOn maintains that regulation of the profession should remain a national competence. Member States must retain the authority to define qualification standards and training requirements in line with their labour market needs and safety frameworks.
Recognition procedures should be streamlined, transparent and time-bound. However, automatic, one-size-fits-all systems risk lowering standards and undermining trust in national VET systems. EU tools such as the European Qualifications Framework (EQF), Europass and ESCO can support transparency and comparability. Their role should remain voluntary and complementary, not mandatory frameworks that override well-functioning national systems.
Micro-Credentials and Digital Certificates
Micro-credentials can add value, mainly in the context of upskilling and lifelong learning. They should not replace established initial education pathways. Strong quality assurance mechanisms and close cooperation with social partners are essential to maintain trust in qualifications. Similarly, digital credentials and further digitalisation can facilitate verification processes. Their primary objective must be to help employers easily assess and trust workers’ qualifications.
These instruments cannot substitute efforts to strengthen national VET systems, enhance the attractiveness of technical careers, and invest in long-term workforce development.
Any future initiative should respect national competences, safeguard high-quality VET systems, and ensure that mobility complements rather than replaces structural solutions to Europe’s skills shortages. EuropeOn’s detailed positions on the VET Strategy, automatic recognition of qualifications, and micro-credentials in the installation sector provide further insight into this approach.
